Pressure-regulating valve



(No Medel.)

W. THOMAS. Pressure Regulating Valve.

N0. 239,573 Pa'ten'ted Mch429,'188.l.

FICLEQ IKM/ENTER:-

N. PETERS, PHDTDLITMOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. Dv C.

vllivrrmo 'STATES PATENT Prien.

WILLIAM THOMAS,`OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM A.BABCOCK, OF SOUTH COVENTRY, CONNECTICUT.

PRESSURE-REGULATING VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 239,573, dated March29, 1881.

' Appnation filed Juljfaisso. '(No model.)

Io all whom it 'may concern: y

Be it known that l, WILLIAMTHOMAS, of Jersey City, Hudson county, NewJersey, (as signor to WM. A. BABGOGK, of South Coventry, Connecticuthave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pressure-RegulatingValves, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to those valves which lo are placed upon thedelivery-pipes of reservoirs of compressed air or other iiuids, todeliver the same under a constant reduced pressure, and which usuallyconsists of a diaphragm connected to a valve controlling thehigh-pressure orifice, which diaphragm is exposed on its inner side tothe reduced pressure ofthe air or gas, `which constantly tends to closethe valve, while a spring acting on the outer side of the diaphragmconstantly tends zo to depress the diaphragm and open the valve, whichtendencies, balancing each other, render the delivery uniform under thedesired reduced pressure.

My invention aims to provide a valve of this 2 5 class which, while4being sensitive and efficient, shall embody a compact, simple, andinexpensive construction, and to this end my invention consists in therelative arrangement of the diaphragm and the high-pressure valve 3o andthe connection between them; also, in the form of the valve-casing, andin other details, as hereinafter fully set forth. i

Figure l of the accompanying drawings 'presents a central verticalsection of my im-` 3 5 proved valve; and Fig. 2, a plan view of thesame, with the diaphragmand top plate removed.

My improved valve hasbeen more especially designed for those automatichydraulic air- 4o compressors now used in bars for pumping or expellingmalt or carbonated liquors from barrels or casks, such as patented to meJuly 22, 1879; but it may, of course', be employed for any equivalentpurpose where a pressure reducing and regulating valve is required.

In the original drawings the valve is represented full size.

a indicates the attaching-neck of the valvecasing, which is connected bya suitable union 5o or coupling to the air-chamber of theair-compressor, or to other source or reservoir of the compressed air orgas; and b indicates the delivery-neck of the valve, which is usuallyconnected by a hose with the air-space of the barrel of ale or otherliquor.

c indicates the l1igh-pressure escape-orifice, which is preferably inline with the axis of the neck a, and is controlled by the puppet orvalve d, which may be termed the high-pressure valve, and e indicatesthe low-pressure esca-pe- 6o orifice, which is preferably much largerthan the highpressure oritce. The chamber between these two orificesforms the reducedpressure cham ber or diaphragm-chamber, and is closedon the top by the diaphragm f. This chamber, as may be observed fromFig. 2, is composed of two circular cells, g h, joined by a narrowthroat, z'. The high-pressure valve d plays like a piston in the smallercell It, and has a dat rubber face to seat upon the bottom 7o of thecell and close the orifice c while the diaphragm plays in or over thelarger cell g. The diaphragm is preferably made of elastic sheetrubber,and is out to correspond with the exterior outline of thereduced-pressure chamber 'Z 5 g L i, as seen best in Fig. 2, and is heldbetween the iiat margin thereofand the top plate, r, of thevalve-casing. This top plate is tlat over the cell h and throat t', tohold the vdiaphragm rigid at those points, where it acts 8o merely aspacking, and is domed or hollowed over the cell g, to permit the freemovement of the operative part' of the diaphragm, and this plate isscrewedto the main casing at the live points 7c. (Seen best in Fig. 2.)85

Z is the spindle of the diaphragm, which is` guided at its lower end ina central bore or cavity in the bottom of the cell g, and has formedonits upper end a broad shoulder, which rests against the under side ofthe dia- 9o phragm, and is terminated with a threaded shank, whichprojects through the diaphragm and receives a nut, s, with abroad face,which is screwed tightly against the diaphragm, as shown. This nut has.an elongated neck, which enters a spiral spring, m, whose lower endrests ou the broad end of the nut, while its upper end rests on the endof the bore of a hollow screw, u, which incloses said spring. The hollowscrew n screws into a threaded roo neck formed on the top plate, r, inline with the diaphragm-cell, and has a milled rim, a', by which thescrew may be turned in or out to compress or relax the spring more orless, and thus put more or less external pressure on the diaphragm,which, as may be observed, constantly tends to depress 'it in oppositionto the air-pressure upon its inner side. As usual, the space above thediaphragm has free communication with the external air, while the spacebelow c-ommunicates with the vessel into which the valve discharges, aswill be readily understood.

It may now be observed that the reducedpressure or diaphragm chamberextends laterally from the hi gli-pressure oriiice, and that the axis ofthe diaphragm is placed at a considerable lateral distance from thehigh-pressure orifice and its valve d. The diaphragm is, however,operatively connected with the highpressure valve by a lever, o, whichis pivoted in the throat i, while its short arm projects into a slot inthe top of the high-pressure valve d and rests against, but is notfastened to, the valve, and its long arm fits into aslotin about themiddle ofthe diaphragm-spindle. Hence, as soon as the pressure of theair below the diaphragm-or, in other words, the back-pressure from thevessel into which the valve disch arges-becomes greater than thepressure of the spring upon the diaphragm, the diaphragm will be raised,the lever tipped, and the highpressure valve closed, and, on the otherhand, when this air-pressure falls below the pressure of the spring thespring will depress the diaphragm, tip the lever, and permit thehighpressure valve to open, so that ordinarily the air-pressure balancesthe spring-pressure, so

as to render the delivery of the air constant at the desired reducedpressure, which may, of course, be increased or decreased at will byadjusting the spring-screw n.

A little consideration will now show that the described construction ofthe valve, with the cavity or reduced-pressure chamber extendinglaterally and the diaphragm placed at a lateral distance from thehigh-pressure valve andv operatively connected by a lever, presents manyadvantages. Thus the cavity of the valve-casing, when thus formed, isvery easily east, the casin g being cast in one piece, as shown, and thecells for the high-pressure valve and the orifice therefor, as well asthe bore for the diaphragm-spindle, may be easily formed or finished bysimple drilling or reaming in a straight line. Furthermore, it is alwaysdesirable in this kind of valve that the diaphragm shall rise and thehigh-pressure valve close in opposite directions, the valve closingagainst and opening with the pressure. Now, the connecting-leverinterposed between these parts enables them to act in this oppositemanner, and yet the construction is very simple and compact, much moreso than where a yoke is` used to pass around the part having thevalveorifice.

Again, by the use of the interposed lever a much'smaller diaphragm maybe used, as the leverage maybe made in favor ofthe diaphragm, so as toobtain the proper ratio between the diaphragm and the high-pressurevalve without having to largely extend the area of the former.

It may be also seen that, as the short arm of the lever rests upon butis not fastened to the high-pressure valve, hencewhen the diaphragm isdepressed the valve will not be raised from its seat unless theback-pressure from the alebarrel or other vessel is less than thepressure from the air colnpressor 0r reservoir, so that hence the valveis free to act as a check-valve to prevent the return of air from theale-barrel or other vessel into which the valve discharges.

It may be further observed that by making the adjusting-screw n hollowto inclose the spring a long spring may be used without occupying muchspace, while being at the same time well supported. l

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a regulating-valve of thedescribed kind, the combination, with a diaphragm arranged at a lateraldistance from the highpressure valve, of a lever operatively connectingthe two and resting on, but not fastened to, the said high-pressurevalve, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A pressure-regulating valve ot' substantially the kind described,having its Valve cas-- ing or chamber g h t' extending laterally fromits high-pressure oritice or neck a, and provided with the valve-cell hand diaphragm-cell g, formed perpendieularly therein and at a lateraldistance from each other, with a communicatin g passage, t', betweensaid cells, and a diaphragm and valve arranged to play in the respectivecells, and an operative connection between them arranged in the saidpassage, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. A pressure-regulating valve such as described, having itsvalve-casing formed with the diaphragm-cell g, valve-cell h, andcommunicating throat t', forming one cavity or chamber opening on oneside of the casing,with the flexible diaphrag m-sheet f entirelycovering said cavity, and the top plate, r, domed over thediaphragm-cell g, but iat over the remainder of the cavity, and `fixedto the casing to confine said sheet at all points except over the cellg, whereby the same sheet serves as a packing over the entire cavity anda diaphragm over the cell g, substantially as herein shown anddescribed.

WILLIAM THOMAS.

Witnesses:

Unas. M. HIGGINS, v JN0. E. GAVIN.

IIO

